Symphony of Winds and Percussion
Thursday, April 18, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Margaret Williams Theatre
The NJCU Symphony of Winds and Percussion, directed by Patrick J. Burns, will present "Foundations", a concert series of classic and modern music for wind band, at Kearny High School and on campus at Margaret Williams Theatre. The program will feature Clifton Williams' Symphonic Suite (1956), one of the most important works written for band during its time. The program will also include Patrick Burns' Benediction (2021), Richard Franko Goldman's Foundation March(1959), Dayla Spencer's Reflect As We Walk (2022), William Owens' Quicksilver Galop (2018), and Alfred Reed's epic work, To Rejoice in the Beauty of Peace (1983).
This group will also be performing at Kearny High School on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
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Into The Wiild
Friday, April 19, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Margaret Williams Theatre
Into The Wiild is a musical conversation between, black joy & pain, love, trauma, and the multidisciplinary musician, Cliff Notez, using hip hop, soul folk, blues, and much more, Cliff engages the audience in an ongoing conversation about the inner wiildness of the black existence, questioning what "wiild" is to begin with.
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Cliff Notez Biography
Prolific collaborator and award-winning multimedia artist Cliff Notez seamlessly manifests a mix of hip hop, jazz, folk, soul and R&B that's been likened to "Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, blended with the paranoia of Radiohead's Kid A."
Their music reveals the repercussions of trauma, exposes the realities of the Black experience, and shares an intimate journey toward healing. Heavy lyrical themes are often juxtaposed with uplifting sounds: bright horns, sparkling keys, snappy percussion, and glowing guitar riffs. Cliff's art is the perfect visual accompaniment for all of these themes, creating work that is both emotionally challenging while layered with colorful, playful imagery.
Passionate about social justice and amplifying Black stories, Cliff Notez has worked hard to give back to their local community and to lobby for inclusion. Currently an Assistant Professor at the Berklee College of Music and Tufts University-- and having previously taught at Harvard, MIT, Emerson, and Northeastern University-- Notez shares their industry experitise in college classrooms teaching classes ranigng from Song-Writing to Film-Making.
As the founder of the digital media company HipStory, Cliff Notez brought hip-hop to one of the largest art museums in the world. Their programming for the Late Nite series at the Museum of Fine Arts created an opportunity for rappers to perform at one of Boston's most prestigious institutions--giving the genre access to cultural conversations it is often left out of.
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Unity Ensemble, Reunion Concert
Sunday, April 21, 2024, 3:00 p.m.
Ingalls Recital Hall, located in Rossey Hall, Room 101
Unity Ensemble is a vocal group dedicated to the performance of choral music from the African and African-American genres. Founded and directed by Dr. Maredia Warren, the Ensemble is recognized for its versatile and spirited repertoire which includes a wide range of styles including contemporary gospel music, arranged spirituals, spirituals from the oral traditions, and vocal jazz. The Unity Ensemble is especially recognized for its performance of traditional music from Southern Africa.
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Jazz Big Band Ft. Freddie Hendrix
Monday, April 22, 2024, 7:00 p.m.
Margaret Williams Theatre
The NJCU Jazz Ensemble welcomes you to an exciting evening of Big Band music for listeners of all ages! The concert will feature the Jazz Ensemble built by NJCU’s own jazz department, and will also feature our special guest, NJCU Alumnus (’03), and one of today’s most in-demand trumpeters, Freddie Hendrix. The music will span the full history of jazz and showcase music from the great groups of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and many more. Under the direction of Nathan Eklund, the ensemble will deliver a powerful, dynamic evening you won’t forget!
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Multi-Style Strings X-Travaganza
Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Margaret Williams Theatre
Join us for a Multi-Style/Multi-Media String X-Travaganza: Cloud Stories & other Extra Natural Phenomena
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Spirit of Life Ensemble
Saturday, April 27, 2024, 7:00 p.m.
Margaret Williams Theatre
This multi-horn ensemble is founded by percussionist David Daoud Williams and is heavily grounded in the loft scene of the 1970s.
This is jazz with a world beat, paying homage to the all-important African roots of jazz. The band has had numerous jazz legends as its members, including Archie Shepp, Randy Weston, Pharoah Sanders, Eddie Henderson, Kenny Barron, and Joe Ford. The Ensemble also has deep Paris roots and is regularly heard in the city’s great jazz clubs and has collaborated with many great French jazz musicians. This performance is presented as part of the William Paterson residency of the great artist, activist, and Paterson native Ben Jones.
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A Spring Choral Concert
Sunday, April 28, 2024, 3:00 p.m.
Margaret Williams Theatre
The Caroline L. Guarini Department of Music, Dance and Theatre presents "A Spring Choral Concert" featuring the NJCU Concert Chorale directed by Dr. Robert Prowse. The concert will take place on Sunday, April 28 at 3:00 pm in the Margaret Williams Theatre on NJCU's Main Campus. The featured work will be Gabriel Fauré's "Requiem", performed with orchestra. Fauré's Requiem contains some of his most beautiful and comforting music. It is a favorite of choirs and audiences around the world. The choir will also perform music by Randal Thompson, Morten Lauridsen, and A.R. Rahman.
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Operetta Iolanthe
Saturday, May 4, 2024, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 5, 2024, 3:00 p.m.
Rossey Hall, Room 105
The Caroline L. Guarini Department of Music, Dance, and Theatre presents the operetta "Iolanthe" with words by W.S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. Performances will take place on Saturday, May 4 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, May 5 at 3:00 pm in Rossey Hall 105. Directed by Dr. Robert Prowse, the cast includes current music majors and NJCU alumni, accompanied by orchestra.
"Iolanthe", sung in English, is a comic tale of Fairies and Nobles vying for power in Victorian England. The story centers around Iolanthe, a fairy who has been banished for marrying a mortal, her son Strephon, who is half fairy and half mortal, his fiancée Phyllis, and her guardian, the Lord Chancellor of England. As in all Gilbert and Sullivan operas, there are lots of absurd situations and plot twists and, of course, a happy ending.
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Pop R'n'B
Friday, May 10, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Margaret Williams Theatre
The Pop/R’n’B Ensemble is the creation of the NJCU Music Business program. It is dedicated to performing classic “pop” with a focus on rhythm & blues music from the pens of 20th-century tunesmiths whose work ruled the airwaves from the 1960s to the present day.
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